Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Encyclopedia
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure is a video game programmed by Todd Replogle
and published by Apogee Software
in 1992. It is a two-dimensional side-scrolling platform game
produced for the PC
platform, and features 16-color EGA
graphics at 320×200 screen resolution. Working title
s for the game include "The Adventures of Zonk" and "Cosmo: Kid From Space".
The game's technology at the time was comparable and in direct competition with that of Nintendo
's Super Mario Brothers 3 for the NES
(which was released several years prior, but was still selling well at the time). Although Cosmo contained superior graphics capabilities in the form of three-layer masked horizontal parallax
scrolling
, this feature came at the cost of the game's frame rate
, moving the graphics in increments of 8 pixels (the size of one game tile) instead of 1 pixel. A file contained with the shareware version of the game urged people not to download it if their computers could not handle it.
music, it does not support SoundBlaster sound. The sound effects are instead generated by the PC speaker. One can cycle through all the sound effects in the game through the sound test option in the main menu.
Much like in his other games, Bobby Prince "borrowed" music from popular composers; the title screen music is based on ZZ Top
's "Tush
".
. A comet
hits their ship
, forcing them to land on an unknown planet and repair the ship. Cosmo goes exploring, and when he returns, his parents are missing. Seeing large footprints, Cosmo thinks that his parents have been captured and sets off to rescue them before they are eaten. There are 3 episodes in the game series in which Cosmo must navigate through 10 alien-themed levels.
At the end of the first episode, Cosmo unexpectedly gets swallowed by a large creature. The story continues in the second episode, where Cosmo ends up in the creature's body and has to find a way out. At the end of the second episode, Cosmo finds the city where he thinks his parents might have been taken. In the final episode, Cosmo finds his parents (who, as it turns out, were in no danger of being eaten) and has a great time at Disney World for his birthday.
There are some interactive objects in the game, including pushable ceiling buttons, teleporters, and springs that make Cosmo jump higher. There are also hovercrafts (floating pads that allow Cosmo to fly) and hint globes (which cause a message to be displayed if Cosmo runs into one; destroying one with a bomb earns 12,800 points).
The player has access to bonus levels after each level if enough stars are collected.
There are several enemies found in the levels. They hurt Cosmo by touching him or firing projectiles at him. Cosmo can kill many of them by jumping on them once or multiple times. Bombs can also be collected and used to destroy enemies. Cosmo can carry at most 9 bombs at a time. After Cosmo drops a bomb, it takes a few seconds to explode, and it can hurt Cosmo if he is too close. Bombs can also be used to destroy other objects and hazards in the game.
There are also Shield cubes, which once collected provide a temporary invincibility shield for Cosmo.
#197 by Sandy Petersen
in the first "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
Todd Replogle
Todd Jason Replogle is a video game programmer, best known as the co-creator of the Duke Nukem series. Replogle graduated from Soquel High School in Soquel, California as a member of the class of 1986....
and published by Apogee Software
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
in 1992. It is a two-dimensional side-scrolling platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
produced for the PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
platform, and features 16-color EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
graphics at 320×200 screen resolution. Working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s for the game include "The Adventures of Zonk" and "Cosmo: Kid From Space".
Technical implementation
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super Mario Brothers 3 for the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
(which was released several years prior, but was still selling well at the time). Although Cosmo contained superior graphics capabilities in the form of three-layer masked horizontal parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
scrolling
Scrolling
In computer graphics, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display. "Scrolling", as such, does not change the layout of the text or pictures, or but incrementally moves the user's view across what is...
, this feature came at the cost of the game's frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
, moving the graphics in increments of 8 pixels (the size of one game tile) instead of 1 pixel. A file contained with the shareware version of the game urged people not to download it if their computers could not handle it.
Music and sound
While the game supports AdLibAdLib
Ad Lib, Inc. was a manufacturer of sound cards and other computer equipment founded by Martin Prevel, a former professor of music and vice-dean of the music department at the Université Laval...
music, it does not support SoundBlaster sound. The sound effects are instead generated by the PC speaker. One can cycle through all the sound effects in the game through the sound test option in the main menu.
Much like in his other games, Bobby Prince "borrowed" music from popular composers; the title screen music is based on ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's "Tush
Tush (song)
"Tush" was the only single from ZZ Top's fourth album Fandango!. It reached number 20 on the pop chart.The song is a twelve-bar blues in the key of G. The recording was produced by Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning...
".
Story
The storyline is about a little alien boy named "Cosmo". Cosmo's parents are taking him to Disney World for his birthdayBirthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
. A comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
hits their ship
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, forcing them to land on an unknown planet and repair the ship. Cosmo goes exploring, and when he returns, his parents are missing. Seeing large footprints, Cosmo thinks that his parents have been captured and sets off to rescue them before they are eaten. There are 3 episodes in the game series in which Cosmo must navigate through 10 alien-themed levels.
At the end of the first episode, Cosmo unexpectedly gets swallowed by a large creature. The story continues in the second episode, where Cosmo ends up in the creature's body and has to find a way out. At the end of the second episode, Cosmo finds the city where he thinks his parents might have been taken. In the final episode, Cosmo finds his parents (who, as it turns out, were in no danger of being eaten) and has a great time at Disney World for his birthday.
Gameplay
The player controls the main character Cosmo, around the levels in order to reach the exit point. Cosmo can walk and jump, and can hang onto most walls with his suction-cup hands. Combining the hanging and jumps allows Cosmo to climb to higher places.There are some interactive objects in the game, including pushable ceiling buttons, teleporters, and springs that make Cosmo jump higher. There are also hovercrafts (floating pads that allow Cosmo to fly) and hint globes (which cause a message to be displayed if Cosmo runs into one; destroying one with a bomb earns 12,800 points).
The player has access to bonus levels after each level if enough stars are collected.
Fighting and health
Cosmo has a health meter starting with three units. Each time an enemy or hazard damages Cosmo, he loses one unit of health. If he takes further damage after losing all health units, or falls off a chasm, the player restarts the level. Cosmo has unlimited lives. There are Power-Up Modules that restore one health unit each. There are also two hidden Cheeseburgers in each episode. Picking one up earns Cosmo an additional empty health unit; thus Cosmo's health meter can have a maximum of five units.There are several enemies found in the levels. They hurt Cosmo by touching him or firing projectiles at him. Cosmo can kill many of them by jumping on them once or multiple times. Bombs can also be collected and used to destroy enemies. Cosmo can carry at most 9 bombs at a time. After Cosmo drops a bomb, it takes a few seconds to explode, and it can hurt Cosmo if he is too close. Bombs can also be used to destroy other objects and hazards in the game.
There are also Shield cubes, which once collected provide a temporary invincibility shield for Cosmo.
Trivia
- Zonk: The blue alien that is seen at the "One Moment..." loading screen when the game starts, who helped Cosmo's parents to safety as later shown in Episode Three. Originally "Zonk" was going to be Cosmo's name.
- Duke NukemDuke Nukem (character)Duke Nukem is a fictional character and action hero who has been the protagonist in over a dozen video games.The character first appeared in the 1991 video game Duke Nukem developed by Apogee Software...
: Duke Nukem is found on Level 7, Episode 2 encased in a block of ice. The player can bomb the ice to release him, in which case he will give Cosmo a Cheeseburger. He refuses to help Cosmo as he is on a mission (to save the galaxy), but tells Cosmo to watch out for his next game: Duke Nukem IIDuke Nukem IIDuke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
. Duke's name is displayed as "Duke Nukum"; see Duke Nukem for more information.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1993 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#197 by Sandy Petersen
Sandy Petersen
Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen is a game designer.Petersen was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended University of California, Berkeley, majoring in zoology....
in the first "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.